Rigell Supports Measure to Protect Women From Violence

Press Release

Today Congressman Scott Rigell voted to continue the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) to provide federal funding for programs and organizations that help assist women who are victims of domestic abuse, stalking, and sexual assault. The bill passed the House 222-205 and now goes to the Senate for consideration.

"As the father of three daughters, I am grateful there are programs in place to assist women who are suffering from abuse and domestic violence," said Congressman Rigell. "We must ensure these programs are there in the future for those who need them."

H.R. 4970 would reauthorize funding for VAWA grant programs for five years and provide more than $660 million in funding per year to help prevent domestic violence and protect victims of abuse. The Act also establishes a number of grant programs within the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for state, local, and tribal governments and victim service providers.

The bill also makes several key improvements to current law including nearly doubling resources for eliminating the backlog of unprocessed rape evidence kits and cracking down on the fraud identified in the immigration program.

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